Examining A Potential Ke’Bryan Hayes Extension
The Pirates made an extension offer to Ke’Bryan Hayes back in Spring Training, which obviously didn’t manifest in a deal, but Hayes himself confirmed to The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel this week that it wasn’t the team’s first effort. As Hayes explains, the Bucs also came to him with an offer before he’d even played in a big league game, during Spring Training 2020.
While the two sides still haven’t worked out a deal, Hayes made clear that he’s open to a long-term pact, wants to step up as a leader of future Pirates clubs and hopes to “win a championship with the team that drafted me.” For now, his focus is on a strong finish to the 2021 season.
Pirates fans, in particular, will want to check out the column for full quotes from Hayes on his future with the club. But for the purposes of this post, let’s take a look at some historical context to see just where Hayes might slot in if he and the Bucs were to approach an extension in earnest. As always, service time is crucial to these explorations, and historical precedent is quite often relevant.
Hayes will finish the 2021 season with a year-plus of Major League service time. We haven’t seen a third baseman in that service class ink a long-term pact since Jedd Gyorko‘s five-year, $35MM agreement with the Padres back in 2014. That seven-year-old deal probably won’t hold much weight as a comp — particularly since even with his recent slump, Hayes has been more productive now than Gyorko was at the time. At the time of Gyorko’s extension, he carried a .242/.295/.433 line through 573 plate appearances — four percent better than league average, by measure of wRC+. He’d previously been regarded as a top-end prospect, but not to the same extent as Hayes.
Conversely, Hayes has slashed at a .282/.351/.463 pace through his first 319 Major League plate appearances. His 2020 performance vastly outweighs his 2021 performance, but his ’21 production has perhaps been sapped by a wrist injury that shelved him for two months early in the year. He’s been a better hitter than Gyorko, plays better defense, and that extension is rather dated by now.
Interestingly, however, there simply haven’t been many position players in this one-plus bracket of service time to use as a point of comparison. That’s been especially true in recent years, when touted young players have either signed before reaching a full year of service or waited to further establish themselves in the Majors. Ozzie Albies, who inked a seven-year, $35MM extension in 2019 is the most recent comparable, but that was one of the more widely panned extensions in recent memory. Hayes, presumably, would be looking to set some form of new bar for players in this general service bracket if he were to seriously entertain offers.
Of course, whether the Pirates would want any part of setting a new precedent in any service bracket remains questionable, at best. The largest contract the Pirates have ever given out was a six-year, $60MM one to catcher Jason Kendall way back in the year 2000. That pact ties them with Cleveland for the smallest franchise-record contract awarded to an individual player. Biertempfel speculates within his column that the Pirates may already have put forth a larger offer than that to Hayes. If that is indeed the case, it’d be a rather shocking effort from such a historically low-payroll club.
Pirates Sign Keury Mella
The Pirates have signed right-hander Keury Mella to a minor league contract, reports Jake Crouse of MLB.com (Twitter link). He has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Mella was released by the Diamondbacks last week.
Mella has seen big league action in each of the past five seasons, albeit without ever carving out a consistent role on a staff. He’s never logged more than ten MLB innings in a given campaign, and his overall body of work consists of 28 2/3 frames of 7.22 ERA/5.11 SIERA ball. The 28-year-old made two appearances with the D-Backs this season, allowing six runs in 1 2/3 innings before being passed through outright waivers.
Over parts of four Triple-A campaigns, Mella has worked to a 4.55 ERA across 201 2/3 innings, starting a little more than half his appearances. He’s worked exclusively in relief this season, though, tossing 29 innings of 4.34 ERA ball in a hitter-friendly environment in Reno. Mella’s 22.7% Triple-A strikeout rate is a bit below-average, but he’s done well in avoiding walks and induced grounders on nearly half the balls in play against him.
In other Pirates roster news, the club activated left-hander Steven Brault from the 60-day injured list, as previously reported. He worked four innings of one-run ball against the Brewers this afternoon in his season debut. To create 40-man roster space, Pittsburgh transferred righty Chase De Jong from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. De Jong is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his left knee last week.
Pirates Place Chad Kuhl On Covid List, Select Shea Spitzbarth
The Pirates announced Monday that they’ve placed righty Chad Kuhl on the Covid-19-related injured list and selected the contract of right-hander Shea Spitzbarth in a corresponding move.
Kuhl, 28, tested positive for Covid-19, per the Pirates, so he’ll be sidelined a minimum of 10 days under this year’s health and safety protocols. The right-hander has been a serviceable back-end starter for the Bucs, pitching to a 4.43 ERA in 67 innings this year. However, he’s also averaged fewer than five innings per outing while posting sub-par strikeout and walk percentages (20.1 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively).
The 26-year-old Spitzbarth will make his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game with the Pirates. He’d spent his entire pro career with the Dodgers prior to the 2021 season, having joined the organization as a nondrafted free agent back in 2015. Generally speaking, he’s struggled in the upper minors — at least until the 2021 season. This year, Spitzbarth has pitched to a 1.41 ERA through 32 innings of relief work. Other metrics aren’t as bullish, as evidenced by a 4.42 FIP and 5.09 xFIP. Spitzbarth has benefited from a .202 average on balls in play and a 90.9 percent strand rate so far in Triple-A. Nevertheless, he’ll get his first look in the big leagues more than six years after first signing.
Also of note, manager Derek Shelton revealed to reporters that left-hander Steven Brault is expected to start tomorrow’s game for the Pirates (Twitter link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 29-year-old Brault hasn’t pitched yet in 2021 owing to a forearm strain suffered late in Spring Training. At the time, it was announced that he’d be shut down at least a month and could miss as much as 12 weeks with the injury, but the timetable proved even lengthier than that.
Brault has spent the past several weeks on a minor league rehab assignment, pitching a total of 12 innings between Class-A and Triple-A as he’s begun to build up for a return to the Pirates. He’s tossed four innings in each of his past two outings, totaling 58 and 56 pitches in that pair of starts (and allowing just one earned run). He’s unlikely to jump from that point to 90-100 pitches in a single outing, but he could give the Pirates four or five innings if he’s reasonably efficient tomorrow.
Pirates Claim Anthony Banda From Mets
The Pirates announced they’ve claimed left-hander Anthony Banda off waivers from the Mets. Pittsburgh already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster. New York designated Banda for assignment over the weekend.
Banda’s tenure with the Mets proved a fairly short one. New York acquired the 27-year-old in a minor league trade with the Giants in early July. He was selected to the roster a couple weeks later but let go after making five relief appearances totaling 7 1/3 innings. Banda was tagged for eight runs (six earned) on fourteen hits in that time, although he did strike out seven while issuing a single walk.
This marks the fifth consecutive season in which Banda has gotten big league work, although he’s not picked up more than 25 2/3 frames in any single year. A one-time top 100 prospect while coming up in the Diamondbacks system, Banda has been set back by injuries and struggles at the highest levels in recent years. He carries a 4.99 ERA in parts of five Triple-A seasons but was quite good up through Double-A. Banda is out of minor league options, so he needs to stick in the big leagues or wind up back on waivers moving forward.
Dee Strange-Gordon Elects Free Agency
Infielder Dee Strange-Gordon has decided to opt out of his minor league deal with the Pirates, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter). The veteran signed with Pittsburgh in early July.
Strange-Gordon is still looking for his first MLB game of the 2021 campaign, which would make it 11 seasons in the Show for the 33-year-old. Since the Mariners declined their club option on Strange-Gordon last fall, he has inked minors contracts around the NL Central, signing with the Reds, Brewers, Cubs, and now the Pirates without getting an opportunity to return to the big leagues.
Though Strange-Gordon had a few strong hitting seasons with the Dodgers and Marlins, the veteran has been best known for his speed, with 333 stolen bases (from 433 attempts) over his career. Strange-Gordon is the active leader in stolen bases, and he swiped 22 bags as recently as the 2019 season. He also offers versatility as an outfielder and middle infielder for any future teams that are looking for veteran depth.
Marlins Discussed Trades Involving Bryan Reynolds, Brandon Marsh
Prior to the trade deadline, the Marlins were looking for outfield help, and explored what would have been a pair of major deals. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of The Miami Herald report that the Marlins checked in with the Pirates about All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds, and also discussed a fascinating deal with the Angels that would have seen Miami acquire outfielder Brandon Marsh in exchange for Max Meyer, the third overall pick of the 2020 draft.
It’s probably safe to assume that almost every team in baseball at least asked the Pirates about Reynolds, who has delivered great results in two of his three MLB seasons. Reynolds has rebounded from a sophomore slump to hit .309/.388/.525 with 18 homers over 425 plate appearances this season, with an .385 xwOBA that ranks among the league’s best.
Reynolds turns 27 in January and is controlled through the 2025 season, making him one of the few assets that the rebuilding Pirates weren’t looking to move in general, and certainly not for anything short of a huge return. “Pittsburgh wanted more than the Marlins were willing to consider,” Jackson/Mish write, so talks ultimately didn’t pan out.
As for the negotiations with the Angels, other players may have been involved in the proposed deal, so it wouldn’t have been only a straight Marsh-for-Meyer swap. Such major trades of top prospects are rare, though this particular move would have addressed needs for both clubs. It isn’t any secret that the Angels are looking to add young arms, as evidenced by their two deadline day trades that netted five minor league pitchers, or their 20-player draft class consisting of nothing but hurlers.
Meyer might already be pretty close to the majors, after throwing three years of college ball and making his pro debut this year at Double-A. The right-hander has a 1.93 ERA over 70 innings for Double-A Pensacola and ranks 38th on Baseball America’s midseason top 100 prospects list.
As impressive as Meyer has been, he is only one of several impressive pitchers at both the MLB and minor league levels of Miami’s organization. With this surplus in mind, Jackson/Mish write that the Marlins are looking to deal a pitcher for “a front-line offensive prospect” like Marsh, who made his Major League debut earlier this month.
Marsh had an even higher placement on BA’s midseason list, ranking as the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball. His first taste of Triple-A ball was limited to 24 games due to shoulder inflammation, but he hit well over that limited playing time and earned his first look at the MLB level. Seen as a center fielder of the future, Marsh would be a natural replacement for Starling Marte up the middle in Miami, and the Angels might be willing to move such a player for premium pitching talent since L.A. has another big outfield prospect in Jo Adell.
Between Marte, Adam Duvall, and Corey Dickerson, the Marlins have traded three veteran outfielders in a little over a month’s time, making the position a target area for the offseason. Jesus Sanchez and the newly-acquired Bryan De La Cruz will be in the mix as potential starters, though Jackson/Mish write that Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison aren’t seen as long-term options. For Harrison, “his future with the organization is uncertain” after an internal matter that reportedly involved Harrison having to be restrained after an argument with Marte.
July Headlines: National League
This year’s trade season did not disappoint. After a wild couple of days, we’re gonna do our best to recap the action from one of the busiest trade deadlines in recent memory. Let’s start with the headlines coming out of the Senior Circuit this month…
The Champs Are Still The Champs: This phrase, in many ways, could serve as an ironic headline for this year’s trade deadline, as we saw the dismantling of a couple of former championship teams. The reigning champ, however, was not one of them. The Dodgers reasserted themselves as the team to beat in the National League by making the splashiest move of the deadline in acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals.
The Dodgers stepped up, and now they have perhaps the most intimidating starter of his generation slotted into a rotation with Clayton Kershaw, probably the best pitcher of his generation, along with young stud Walker Buehler. It’s an amazing collection of talent for a single team.
That said, the Turner acquisition might be even more impactful, as he’s under team control through next season. Turner and Mookie Betts as a 1-2 punch in the lineup are devastating. Interestingly, the Dodgers also got Corey Seager back from the injured list today, and it remains to be seen how the Dodgers will deploy their pair of All-Star shortstops (to say nothing of Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor). The Dodgers have options now and for the future. Remember, Seager is a free agent after the season. They can still bring back their World Series MVP at the right price point, but they won’t be pressured to now that they have Turner in the fold.
The Padres Don’t Land Mad Max: The trade deadline madness really began on Thursday night when it was announced that the Padres and Nats had agreed on the players involved in a Scherzer deal. That didn’t sit well with the Dodgers, who swooped in to remind the Padres of who still runs the West. The Padres were expected to turn their attention to Jose Berrios, but they weren’t able to get him either.
At the end of the day, the Padres didn’t get Scherzer, Berrios, Joey Gallo, or any other of the big names. They did add Adam Frazier, a versatile defender and good contact hitter, along with Daniel Hudson, who is a legitimate get for the bullpen, and Jake Marisnick, who compliments their centerfield options nicely, even if he’s not much more than a depth piece. It was a less impactful deadline than expected, but what’s worse: Fernando Tatis Jr. promptly reaggravated his shoulder injury. Add it all up, and the swing from potentially acquiring Scherzer to potentially losing Tatis is enough to give any Padres fan whiplash.
Giants Add Bryant: The Padres took a big swing and missed, the Dodgers took their swing and connected, and sure to form, the Giants played the deadline slow and steady. Does the tortoise win again? Time will tell, but the Giants did ultimately nab a former MVP in Kris Bryant without giving up a top prospect. Bryant fits their profile like a glove, and he’ll be able to fill in at third until Evan Longoria returns and then move to the outfield.
Remember: The Giants have a three-game head start on LA and a five-game lead on the Padres. Adding Bryant has game-changing potential, while Tony Watson was a solid, low-key add to the pen. The Dodgers are scary, but if the Giants keep playing their game, LA may find themselves in the wild card game anyway.
Cubs Collapse, Dismantle 2016 World Series Champs: In a vacuum, the Cubs had a pretty good deadline. They added a number of buzzy, interesting young players like Nick Madrigal, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Alexander Canario. But it came at a cost. After years of rumors, Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez were finally shipped out of town, along with Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera, Marisnick, and Trevor Williams. New players — and new narratives — are long overdue in Chicago, and the next chapter awaits.
Nationals Collapse, Dismantle 2019 World Series Champs: It’s appropriate that the Cubs are in DC to play the Nats this weekend, because really, the two clubs are mirror images of one another, right down to their interconnecting pieces like Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester. Both teams were trying to contend on the legs of recent title teams, both teams had disastrous months of July, and both clubs desperately needed an influx of young talent. Both teams got it on Friday.
The Nats farm system was even more barren than Chicago’s and their need to restock even direr given the presence of young superstud Juan Soto. So Washington said their fare-thee-wells to Scherzer, Turner, Hudson, and Yan Gomes from the title team, plus recent additions Lester, Schwarber, Brad Hand, and Josh Harrison. GM Mike Rizzo does not sell off pieces willy nilly, but in doing so, they got some high-end, near-ready pieces as they look to quickly rebuild a contender in context around Soto before the Scott Boras client reaches free agency after the 2024 season.
Brewers Take Their Place Atop The NL Central: Milwaukee made their big acquisition back in May, and Willy Adames has transformed himself and the club since his arrival. They were last under .500 on the day before Adames arrived, they’ve gone 41-19 since and taken firm hold of the NL Central. Still, some tinkering remained on the docket for July, as the Brewers picked up Eduardo Escobar, Rowdy Tellez, John Curtiss, and Daniel Norris.
Injuries Keeping Mets From Runaway Division Title: The Mets left deadline day with a more acute awareness of what they lost than what they gained: Jacob deGrom has been shut down for another couple of weeks, leaving the all-world hurler out until at least September. That’s heartbreaking for a Mets team with a clear path to an NL East title. Plenty of upside remains in the Mets rotation with Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker posting career years, Carlos Carrasco set to make his debut, and Tylor Megill providing the surprising rookie breakout contenders seek. Still, deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are questionable at best for the rest of the season, and the only rotation additions the Mets made at the deadline were Rich Hill and Trevor Williams.
They did, however, account for Francisco Lindor‘s injury by adding Javier Baez, Lindor’s friend and countrymate who can ably fill in while Lindor is out and then slide to second or third when he returns. Baez isn’t, perhaps, the former Cub that Mets fans expected, but he’s an excellent fit alongside Lindor and should bolster the pitching staff with his stellar glove — even if acquiring him did cost them a former first-rounder in Crow-Armstrong.
Braves Lose Acuna For The Season: The deadline might have looked a lot different for Atlanta had they not lost Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season back on July 10th. Without Acuna and Mike Soroka, the Braves weren’t expected to make any major swings at contention. But even a 13-12 July was enough to keep them within four games of first. A fourth consecutive NL East title remains in reach. So they nabbed one of the top available relief arms in Richard Rodriguez, as well as, seemingly, all the outfielders: Jorge Soler, old pal Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, and Joc Pederson, plus Stephen Vogt to reinforce their catching corps.
Soft Buys From The Fringes Of Contention: The Giants and Dodgers made headline additions, while the Nats and Cubs took a firm step away from contention. In the middle, there were a number of clubs that neither sold the farm nor raised the white flag. Such as…
…the Phillies… who seemed poised to add a bevy of arms given their bullpen situation, not to mention a starting rotation that’s received underwhelming performances from the back end. Instead, only Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy came to help, and they cost the Phillies’ top prospect Spencer Howard. Howard’s handling had been in question all season, and now he’s been served an unceremonious end to his Philly tenure. Gibson’s had a fine season thus far with the Rangers, but his groundball approach will be tested in front of Philly’s subpar infield defense. Sure, Freddy Galvis brings his glove back to help out, but will that be enough?
…and the Reds… who looked to undo their winter penny-pinching by restocking the bullpen. Justin Wilson, Luis Cessa, and Mychal Givens will try to help a bullpen that ranks 29th with a 5.31 ERA. The Reds’ inconsistent play in July kept them squarely on the deadline fence, however, and now that Nick Castellanos is on the injured list, they’re seven games behind the Brewers and looking like longshots for the postseason.
…and the Cardinals…who added a few pieces at the deadline, despite being 9.5 games behind the Brewers and 6.5 out of a wild card spot. The additions were modest, however, as St. Louis went on a run of graybeard southpaws in July, adding 36-year-old Wade LeBlanc, 37-year-old Jon Lester, and 38-year-old J.A. Happ to a rotation fronted by 39-year-old Adam Wainwright and caught by 39-year-old Yadier Molina.
Cellar Dwellers Sell: The Marlins, Pirates, and Diamondbacks, each in last place of their respective divisions, made some moves to turn expiring talent into youth for the future. The Marlins added the biggest fish in Jesus Luzardo, but the Pirates did well for themselves, too, by adding some plug-and-play talent like Michael Chavis from Boston and Bryse Wilson from Atlanta, while also grabbing two prospects from Seattle for Tyler Anderson. The Dbacks weren’t quite as active, but they did move Escobar and Joakim Soria, though a COVID-19 outbreak has brought more pressing issues to their attention.
The Rockies Don’t Trade Trevor Story Or Jon Gray: The most perplexing moves of the deadline were the trades that didn’t happen. Despite having no shot at contention in a division with zero margin for error (in the short-and-long term), the Rockies chose to stand pat rather than build for the future. Holding Gray is one thing, but Story has stated his desire to move on, so their decision not to acquire a prospect or two for him before he walks might be the biggest shock of deadline season.
Braves To Acquire Richard Rodriguez
The Braves and Pirates completed a last-minute deal sending closer Richard Rodriguez from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds that righties Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito are headed to Pittsburgh in return for Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, 31, is under team control through 2023. He currently sports a 2.82 ERA, 22.8 K%, 3.4 BB%, and 29.2% groundball rate. Rodriguez’s only standout ability this year has been avoiding walks, and with so few groundballs he may return to his homer-prone ways. Nor does Rodriguez throw particularly hard for a reliever in 2021, averaging 93.2 miles per hour on his fastball. Rodriguez’s ERA stood at 0.45 on May 25th, but since then in 18 games he’s managed a 5.40 ERA.
Still, the Braves have added a solid, controllable setup man to their bullpen behind closer Will Smith. This month Smith has gotten the highest-leverage work for Atlanta, followed by A.J. Minter and Chris Martin. The Braves are four games out in the NL East, sitting one game below .500 at present. This still leaves the club with a 9.7% chance at the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, and Braves President, Baseball Operations & General Manager Alex Anthopoulos chose to go into buying mode. Aside from Rodriguez, Anthopoulos has essentially assembled a brand new outfield with Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, and Jorge Soler.
In Wilson, the Pirates snagged a 23-year-old righty with 14 career big league starts to his name. Drafted in the fourth round out of high school back in 2016, Baseball America gave Wilson a 50 grade before the season. BA wrote, “Wilson profiles as a back-of-the-rotation workhorse type who will throw strikes and compete.” The Braves had optioned Wilson to Triple-A on Tuesday, but GM Ben Cherington said he should be in Pittsburgh and active tomorrow.
DeVito, a 21-year-old righty, has a 2.66 ERA this year in five High-A starts. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein gave him a 40 grade before the season, noting that “if Devito’s pitch-quality improves a little bit he has a strong chance to be a three-pitch reliever.”
Red Sox, Pirates Swap Austin Davis And Michael Chavis
The Red Sox announced the acquisition of lefty reliever Austin Davis from the Pirates, sending infielder Michael Chavis back to Pittsburgh in a one-for-one deal.
It’s a bit of a surprising pickup for Boston, since an elbow sprain has limited Davis to just 9 2/3 innings this year. He’s allowed seven runs (six earned) in that brief look, striking out eleven and issuing five walks. This is his fourth season seeing some action at the big league level, as the 28-year-old previously pitched for the Phillies and Pittsburgh from 2018-20. Altogether, he has a 5.65 ERA/4.04 SIERA in 71 2/3 innings.
Davis still has a pair of minor league option years remaining and hasn’t yet reached arbitration, though. He’ll give the Sox a flexible southpaw relief option who can be moved back and forth between Boston and Triple-A Worcester so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster.
Chavis was a one-time highly-regarded prospect, so it’s easy to see the appeal for the Pirates. Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington was leading the Boston front office when the Red Sox selected Chavis in the first round of the 2014 draft. The right-handed hitter has bounced on and off the big league roster over the past three years, picking up a little more than the equivalent of one full season’s worth of playing time. Chavis has a .234/.291/.413 line across 622 big league plate appearances to date.
He’s been too strikeout-prone to this point, but there’s little harm for the rebuilding Bucs in giving him a look. Chavis has the minor league pedigree and defensive flexibility — he’s seen time at each of first, second and third base, as well as in left field — to be an intriguing buy-low pickup. Chavis can still be optioned for the remainder of this season and next.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Red Sox were acquiring Davis. Keith Law of the Athletic reported that Chavis was going to the Pirates in return.
Phillies, Pirates Swap Minor Leaguers
The Phillies are acquiring minor league lefty Braeden Ogle from the Pirates, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided. The Pirates will receive catcher Abrahan Gutierrez, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mackey also notes that the trade “likely plays into the Pirates’ impending Rule 5 crunch,” in that Ogle would be more likely to be taken than Gutierrez. The Phillies have since announced the trade.
Ogle celebrates his 24th birthday today – happy birthday, Braeden! The southpaw was drafted in the fourth round out of high school by the Pirates back in 2016, signing for above slot. As of 2019, when he was in A-ball, Ogle moved to a bullpen role. After finishing 2019 in High-A, Ogle was able to jump to Triple-A this year after the lost 2020 minor league season. In 31 2/3 innings, he’s punched out nearly 31% of batters, but has also walked nearly 17%. Ogle hasn’t appeared on a prospect list for a while, but before 2018 Baseball America assigned him a 50 grade on account of a 94-96 mile per hour fastball as well as a decent slider and changeup.
Gutierrez was one of the players the Pirates were to receive in the Tyler Anderson trade with the Phillies that fell through, notes Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gutierrez, 21, is hitting .288/.420/.429 in 2019 Low-A plate appearances this year. Prior to the season, Baseball America gave him a 40 grade, noting that Gutierrez “projects as a backup catcher if he can quicken his bat speed and make harder contact.” He projects as an average defender, according to BA. Gutierrez originally signed with the Braves out of Venezuela in 2017, but he was one of the 13 prospects who had his contract voided when GM John Coppolella was banned from MLB for life for circumventing international signing rules. Gutierrez kept his $3.53MM bonus from the Braves, but then was able to sign a new contract with the Phillies.
The Phillies’ bullpen currently sports a 4.57 ERA. Lefty Ranger Suarez has been their highest-leverage reliever of late. They have another southpaw in Jose Alvarado, who has an 8.68 ERA and 21 BB% in his last ten appearances.